Cleaning out my closet ~ Seasonal Swaps

So it is that time of year again ~
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz; I wonder where the birdys iz?  They say the bird iz on de wing, but that’s absurd because the wing iz on de bird!    Well, actually if you are in my hemisphere it is the time of the falling leaf as autumn marches it’s way across the land.  But no matter north or south, unless you live near the equator it is quite likely that you have a winter and summer wardrobe. 

If you are lucky, you may have enough closet space to keep both wardrobes together all year round ~ and before I married I could do that. 

Obviously that has changed and even though Husband does not have an extensive wardrobe {he HATES shopping with a passion; which makes it even more great when he very graciously comes with me.  > U < } we do not have enough room to fit everything in. 

There are a few things I found that help with this seasonal swap over ~ some things have come through personal experience, others I have picked up but have not tried yet.  Hopefully they will be of use to you. 

Sorting Options:
What do you want to change over?  Sometimes the hardest thing is to know which items of clothing you want to swap out.   Now that layering is such a popular option through winter, you can also get a lot more wear out of your favourite pieces, making it even harder to decide what to keep out and what to store away.  

• Layering:  Most of the time I would choose whether I keep a piece in my wardrobe based on how warm it is.  Obviously for the spring/summer transition, you have to put away your warmer clothes because you just will not wear them! 
  
  But for the fall/winter transition, you can think about the piece of clothing in terms of layer~ability.  Is it a neutral piece? A nice pop of colour?  Does the floral print have a dark background, making it more winter~friendly?  If you like styling with layers, do not worry about how thick and warm the clothing is ~ that is what layering is for after all!
  
• Shoes:   I have a lot of shoes.   And this means that I cannot keep them all out at once!  *sad face*  There are shoes that we do not wear as much depending on the season.  Long boots, ankle booties, a few of the more ‘closed in’ wintery~ish shoes like oxfords and warm lace ups.  If you know you will not wear these shoes, store them away.  You will be amazed at how much extra space this gives you, and how much easier it is to see what shoes you do have available to wear.
  
  Before you store all your summer sandals away for the fall/winter transition, remember that socks under your strappy heels is a hot trend on the run way at the moment.  Try out a few pairs and decide which ones you would like to rock this look with and store the rest.  If that style is not up your ally, that is okay; just pop all your summer lightweights away. 
  

Storage Options:
There are a few different ways to store your clothes ~ it really depends on how much space you have available to you.   If you have a spare room or garage, you can basically choose whatever option suits you best.   However, if you live in a small apartment, you may not have that luxury; then it is time to get creative with your storage. 

• Old Wardrobes:  When we moved into our new house, there where three old, but still good, wardrobes left behind that I knew I did not want.   I was going to throw them out when my MIL suggested that I keep them in the garage for storing clothes and other stuff in {and if I did not want them, she would take them!}.
  
  As our garage is large enough to keep them I immediately jumped at the idea.  With a few moth balls scattered around I can take all the summer clothes hanging in my wardrobe and swap them for the winter ones.  An easy storage technique that will keep everything organized and still hung so will take less time to swap over.  Plus, if you ever find you need some article of clothing that you have already packed away, you can access it without having to root through a bunch of boxes!
  
  If you have the space I would recommend finding some second hand wardrobes, or even dressers and implementing this system.
  
• Boxes:    It a pretty obvious storage option, but my tip here is to spend a little more cash and invest in plastic boxes with lock down lids.   They can be expensive, but they are pretty much guaranteed to keep you clothes free from bugs and moisture.
  
  You can use cardboard boxes, but if you store these for a couple of months, whether inside or outside, bugs and possibly mice will be attracted to them.   Outside storage is worse ~ but you’d be surprised how many bugs get into your stuff even when it is inside.  I should know, after living out of boxes for the last year or so!
  
  You really do not want slugs and mice poop through your clothes….  Ew! Gross!  To use cardboard boxes I would put all your clothes in a plastic garbage bag with some moth balls first.   Seal it up tight, and your clothes should be safe.
  
• Vacuum sealed bags:   This is probably the best solution for those that are in tight spaces, as there is less bulk with these.    You can buy them at most general stores; in Australia I would go to Big W, Kmart or Target to find them.
  
  You pop your clothes in the bag, attach the vacuum, hit reverse suction and voila!  Your clothes are sealed up safe from bugs, moisture, etc.  I do not think that I would put these outside without putting them in a box first though, for easier storage.
  
• Suitcases:  If you have suitcases that you do not use that often, you can put some clothes in them to utilize that space.   However, this is not the best solution if you travel a lot. 
  

Creating extra space in your wardrobe: 
There are always some  items that tend to take up a lot of space in your wardrobe ~ for me these are my coats in winter {and the accessories; beanies, scarves and gloves} and my hats in summer.   I try to store these else where to maximize closet room.

• Coats:   If you have the space, I have discovered that the best way to keep your coats is to keep the majority of them on a coat rack.   If you have space in your entrance way, or even in the corner of your bedroom, hang the coats you use the most on the rack, and keep the special ones tucked away.  
  
  You can hang the scarf that matches your coat on the same hook so you do not need extra storage space for that and pop your gloves in the pockets.   Also, hanging your coats up also makes it easier to grab them when you are running out the door in a hurry {like me!}.
  
•  Hats: I like to put these on my coat rack in summer for the same reasons as I hang my coats ~ more room in my wardrobe and easy access.  As I have a lot of different summer hats {and winter ones} this really helps.  But if you have only one or two, you can always ‘display’ your hats by hanging them on some hooks on the wall, or on your bookshelf, or dresser; the options are as limitless as your imagination.   They can add a really nice touch to your decor and you do not have to worry about them getting squished. 
  

My last tip is to enjoy the swap over!  Now is a great time to ‘shop’ your wardrobe and discover your old favourites all over again, as well as those pieces that you forgot you had….   Of course, this is also a great time to do a through clean out, and throw away/donate the clothing you have worn out, or do not wear; but as that is a whole other post in itself, I will leave that one until later.   

If you have any ideas or tips about changing over wardrobes, please leave a comment to share.   I love to hear your ideas; it is great to learn about more tips and tricks for managing my clothes!  

xox,

bonita